Curiosity Kills
by Sam-Sam-Samedi
Summary: Peony, he thought sardonically, had a way of making his skeletons rumble. Jade-centric.


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Title:

Curiosity Kills

_AN:_ XD Random, I know. I found the idea to be interesting, and have been playing around with it in my head. Feel free to tell me if I did the characters well. D: Or horribly. Also, do not own Namco, or Tales of the Abyss.

Um, it's not beta-ed. D: I apologize in advance for that; I did the best I could based on my own knowledge on the language. Please point out mistakes, if you should find any.

* * *

"Hey, Jade," Luke began, fidgeting with the buttons on his gloves, its threads limp and cut jagged by loose fangs.

"Luke," he stressed, voice mystified and goading, a spirited twist of a smile on his face. "I'm afraid mending that is _far_ beyond the capabilities of my poor old bones; you should be _ashamed_, asking an old man to do children's work." Guy rolled his eyes, back against a lonely oak, leg pulled forward, and sword weaved between his arms; Jade stretched his smile further, pushing his glasses forward on the bridge of his nose, relaxed. "You should ask Guy to help. He insists he's a mere servant, after all."

"Hey!" Guy snapped, frowning at Luke's intensity, desperate eyes reading "will you?", their hope transparent. "That's not fair, Luke. You said you could handle it." He turned away, crestfallen, and once again worked to string the buttons hanging pitifully from their torn leather.

"Yeah, well," Luke started, Jade's cheerful eyes nestling uncomfortably deep, as if scrutinizing his suddenly vulnerable soul. "I actually have a question I want to ask you."

"Well now," Jade responded. "This is unusual. Ask away." Luke seemed to jolt in surprise, Guy throwing them a backwards glance, both tentative and searching for an ulterior motivation as explanation. "Oh, is that your reaction? Don't be so _enthusiastic_. I'll decide what I want to answer and what I don't." He beamed, silencing them, an identical grumbling moving over both.

Luke heaved a sigh, his words lingering on his tongue. "About you and Peony-- how did you become friends? You guys are. . . " he hesitated, sentence shrinking into nothing.

"Differential?" Jade finished, Luke shrugging dismissively, as if trying to hide his obvious truth. "Perceptive, coming from you, Luke. Indeed we are." The two simply stared one another down, Jade unreadable, his expression rippling back to blankness; Luke stirred under the uncomfortable silence, brushing red bangs away from his eyes, distracting himself with their split ends. "Being the idiotic youth I was, I became curious." Guy and Luke passed calculating, questioning grimaces between one another-- Jade remained still, regressing into a temporary lapse of nostalgia, faint pictures tracing against the empty sides of his memory.

"Emperor Peony claims that you've broken into his home, Colonel," Tear's voice was severe beneath its control, her strides proud and calm, image appearing from the dark of the forest-- the colonel shrugged, shaking his head, and resigned to their interest.

"Now, now. His Imperial Majesty has a way of glorifying himself," he gestured, arms wide-stretched and eyes glinting behind smooth glass. "You could say it's his life's calling." Her shoulders sagged in frustration, moving towards Luke, and he grinned with uncertainty in response; she took his glove from him, muttering a blunt, "You're hopeless".

"Truly Colonel," Guy said, stretching the syllables. "You have a way of avoiding the subject."

"My apologies," Jade replied, enigmatic, and with the same detestable indifference. "As a military man, it has become a necessary evil." Guy said nothing, having drifted back to his duties as watchman, body stiff and alert.

Luke observed their banter, waiting to interrupt; he squirmed, restless, and Tear patiently mended the ruined threads at his left side. "So," he started. "You didn't break into Peony's—err, Emperor Peony's house?"

Jade turned to him, face contemplative. "I suppose it's possible. I don't remember my childhood with His Majesty in great detail, "there was a collective intake of breath, Luke's head cocked in confusion--Tear and Guy dwindled further into annoyed silence.

"I am, after all," the colonel clucked, amused, a small smile gracing his sharp features. "An old man."

* * *

Morning came, the sky a dreary display of graying clouds and off-blue, wind rustling the trees, their leaves fresh and dewed.

"It's—it's terribly cold!" Natalia murmured, shrill, cheeks pink; Anise, Luke, and Guy were crowded in the break of the trees, collecting their camp equipment, Natalia nestled deep in her blanket.

"Hehe," Anise cooed, her chuckle dark and dangerous. "Natalia sleeps in super later, doesn't she! Seems kind of anti-princess to me!" She chimed, pressing her fingers against her cheeks—Natalia reddened, quickly gathering herself, and Anise shrugged, feigning innocence.

"You might not want to stand up like that," Guy inserted cheerfully, Luke struggling to turn away—Natalia blinked, a cold breeze playing in her nightdress.

"I—I--!" Natalia's voice broke, and she dove back into the covers, pulling them around herself.

Anise smirked, "Oh my! How _improper!"_ She purred, mimicking the princess, curling her lips in fake surprise. "Oh no, hel—"Anise squeaked, harsh, as Natalia rose, blankets fastened securely around her body, and quivering with anger.

"You—you're horrible! Come back, coward!" Natalia seethed, taking after Anise, who rushed past Luke, Guy dodging in a flash of fear.

"What the hell. . ." Luke sighed. "They're acting like children."

Guy laughed, musical and warm, "That's almost rude coming from you, Luke. Haha—hey, they look like they're having fun to me."

Luke studied Guy's smile closely, ". . . No one's having as much "fun" as you, Guy." He rested his arms behind his head, stalking away, Guy left in an awkward bemusement.

"Oh no, Luke," a cheerful voice intervened. "I must disagree. " Luke and Guy stiffened; the Colonel, shadowed by an exhausted Tear, was sipping his tea, an arm folded behind his back.

". . . He had enough time to make tea during that," Tear grumbled, voice devoid of emotion, her left hand pulling loose brown hair away. "Natalia." The princess went rigid, holding Tokunaga above a griping Anise, both silenced at Tear and Jade's arrival.

"I. . ." Natalia stuttered, voice broken. "I apologize! I—I was simply angry. . ." She returned the decrepit old doll to Anise, face genuinely remorseful.

"I'm sorry-- Colonel, Tear. . ." Anise replied, tossing Tokunaga over her shoulder, and positioning him in his strap.

"Oh no," Jade answered, in good spirits. "I found you two to be quite entertaining."

"You would," Tear snapped, dousing the fire, Luke and Guy muttering to one another and hastening to finish their work—sunrise faded into early morning, Natalia quiet and fully clothed, Anise complaining about her boredom, Jade remaining puzzlingly unruffled, and the rest busying themselves.

"Man-- that took forever!" Luke scoffed, tossing his bag in the air and catching it again.

"Luke, it takes the same amount of time every day," Tear reminded him flatly, Luke scouting ahead, footsteps quick with his building energy.

"Oh, yeah," he chirped. "Jade, you didn't tell us about how you and the Emperor became friends."

Jade straightened, "Does the subject interest you? I wouldn't say it's of any particular importance."

"Huh," Luke was thoughtful, eyes wide. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"Haha, good for you, Luke," Guy joked, trailing a few feet behind, Anise and Natalia lining the rear.

"Oh no," Anise jumped forward, causing Guy to skid ahead. "Is Luke thinking? Sounds dangerous."

"D-don't do that!" Guy rasped, side-stepping Luke, an injured surprise playing across his features.

Anise grinned, her voice low, "They say proper discipline builds character."

"W-what was that?!" Guy questioned, Anise running past him, pushing Luke and Tear apart.

"Nothing!" She shot back, lovingly.

He rubbed the back of his head, still startled, "That's just evil. . ." Natalia stirred, peering across the horizon, masses of gray forming in the distance, dotting the skyline.

"You shouldn't say that about Luke," Tear drawled, irate.

"Yes, Anise," the colonel scolded in fake honesty, tone flatly playful. "Such truths _are_ wasted on idiots, after all." Luke puffed his cheeks in indignation, biting back an angry retort.

"I wonder if it will rain. . ." Natalia's voice died, cautious.

"We should be careful," Tear reflected, statement directed towards Jade; he shrugged in nonchalant apathy. "We may be forced to stop if that happens."

"I'm afraid I can't control the weather," he mused, Tear heaving a sigh.

"Hey!" Luke tried once again, his spirit broken and irritated, desperately wanting his answer. "Jade!"

"I suppose I could tell you," Jade said, warmly; excluding Anise, the party exchanged curious looks, Luke smirking in triumph-- the colonel threw his arms out, pulling them free from his pockets. "For a small fee, of course—my history is considered a Malkuth state secret through the eye's of His Majesty."

Luke cursed under his breath, pulling forward—Jade watched him, eyes looking through the boy, his glasses luminous in rising sunlight. Peony, he thought sardonically, had a way of making his skeletons rumble.

* * *

Keterburg never shined in the eyes of its established residents; it glistened underneath a darkened sky, blanketed white in a fleeting blizzard that exploded and died before reviving in the rough cliffs of Mount Roneal. Sun hardly escaped the suffocating clouds above, daylight captured in a complex netting of water and chemicals—all the heavens gave them was snow, and it tossed down more than anyone felt they needed.

Jade was tall at twenty-five, stiff and with alert eyes, accompanied by a sense of well-breeding; he towered above the average man, poise and posture reminiscent of royalty. Strolling over the brick pathways, snow brushing his uniformed legs, he mused over the idea that he had not expected to return to this settlement, half believing it would empty because of the sickening cold—Peony had argued, painfully melodramatic, that he had no intention of letting poor Nephry's hometown be usurped by the mountain's snow-white wrath, and Jade hazily remembered answering that it was buried to him nevertheless.

He continued past the elderly brick houses lining the streets, smudges of grays and reds amid the sea of colorless frigid liquid, his silhouette over-looking the poorly-made hotel near the village entrance. It was as miserably homely as it had been prior to his leaving—a dull, ugly intervention amongst the many praised cities belonging to Malkuth.

In this way, he missed the battlefield, because of its inherent and ever-constant supply of interest. _'There is simply little to do in the world of the living,' _he thought, mood genial.

He reached Keterburg Bay shortly, the faint image of a cruiser blurred against the morning mist—it clawed at the graying skies, metal sidings stretching far past the port and deep into the distance, its outline soon disappearing.

"Good morning, Sir!" A guard, shivering dreadfully, chirped from his perch on the stairwell of some pointless establishment; Jade returned his greeting with a detached nod of his own, officers working to allow him entrance, forcing open the hatch.

It budged, a resigned metal shriek echoing hauntingly, puffs of smoky cloud erupting from the engine—he shrugged, barking a serene thanks, the soldiers saluting in response.

"Sir!" The captain remained at attention, voice cutting, throaty amidst the iron. "Emperor Peony the Ninth wishes to speak with upon your return to the Capital."

"Yes," he muttered casually, his words pronounced. "Inform him of my departure."

* * *

Rain interrupted the peaceful flow of waterfalls, their waves crashing, hidden pipelines leading out into the sea; Peony was seated, stretched leisurely over an elaborate loveseat, dressed in mixed blues and fading into sleep, watching the angry storm.

"Your Excellency?" A maid inquired, poking her head past the doorframe. "Jade Curtiss is here to meet with you." Peony opened an eye, forcing himself forward, flashing a lazy grin.

"Yeah," he waved a hand. "Send him in." She bowed her head in respect, Jade gliding past her—he stopped, regal, a hushed slam of the door signaling her exit.

"To what do I owe the pleasure."

"What are old friends for?" Peony drawled, beaming in place of the unseen Rem; Jade said nothing. "Anyway, I've been hearing—interesting stuff, I guess you could say."

"Of what caliber?" Jade replied, hands at rest, buried in his pockets.

"Ah, just info about the border disputes," he answered dully. "So," Peony started, interrupting the growing silence," there have been rumors about you "scavenging corpses"—is that right, Jade?"

"I see no reason to deny those claims," Jade retorted, voice emotionless.

"See any reason to confirm them?" Peony inquired, musically.

"Once again, no," if Jade he the ability, he may have frowned, Peony's eyes flashing dangerously behind his facade, bearing into him.

"Jade," he began, unexpectedly serious. "I know that you're involved in fomicry—was it replica? -- research—and you used to tear cats and stuff up when we were kids."

". . ." He shrugged, carefree, and Peony rose, propping his feet on the low-lying table nearest to him.

"I can't have people thinking Malkuth lets its representatives steal dead bodies. It looks bad on me, you know?" Peony was poised, but boiling underneath his skin. "Seriously man. I'm telling you to give up the ghost."

Jade seemed frozen, turning his attention to the drear outside the window, "And if I refuse? These matters relate strictly to my personal life, Peony."

"Then," Peony tittered on the edge of being threatening, voice icily cold, "There will be consequences."

". . . I suppose so," Jade spoke, mechanically.

"Listen, you've been a friend of mine—forever, basically. I don't want to have to be the one who throws you in prison," he shook his head, otherworldly in his distress. "But I will. That, and strip you of your position."

* * *

Jade watched the skies churn in the distance, the party driving ahead, chattering in familiarity—he knew now that Peony's threats had been very real; a peaceful, rare smile teased him, small and incomprehensible.

In some sinister way, he found it was almost humorous: they were pointless words that he would hold on to even decades later, and it was those pointless words that had shaped him. He recalled that it hadn't been the only instance, his fondest memory resulting in a thoughtful strike to the nose, Nephry looking on in stunned silence—no, there were many, and he knew now that he deserved them all.

There was no doubt that they were different, and it was the of the few discrepancies he would ever thank, his secrecy betrayed in his subtle formalities-- His Majesty was His Majesty, after all, another one of the many lessons most idiots learned early in life; but he was a poorer fool, who learned all lessons late.

* * *

_AN:_ I apologize if Natalia seems OOC. She strikes me as having a bad temper, and they have known each other for quite a while—I wanted to write something funny, at least to me. Review, if possible. :D As for Jade's tea-making, I can say only this: where was he keeping the package? (It will forever remain a mystery.)

Man, it ended on a sucky note. XD Well, I made an attempt, and I can see Peony throwing Jade in jail, if he felt there was NO alternative other than doing so. I wanted to write that nose-punch scene, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. D: I seemed to be lacking a "feeling" for it, I guess you could say.


End file.
